NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL — The American Red Cross Capital Area Chapter is running shelter setup drills to sharpen its emergency response ahead of hurricane season.
The drills, called Thunderbolt Exercises, simulate opening shelters following a disaster. During their most recent exercise, volunteers and staff had to set up 4 shelters — 2 in Tallahassee, 1 in Marianna, and 1 in Wakulla — within 2 hours.
Candi Collyer, Community Disaster Program Manager for the Capital Area Chapter of the Red Cross, said the exercises reveal critical gaps in their response capabilities.
"We open so many shelters in so many counties and get them staffed and make sure we have all of the stuff there and we have time frames that we have to do that," said Collyer.
Collyer said the exercises are an important part of year-round hurricane preparedness training.
"So it's a great exercise. It teaches you where your shortfalls are and where you need to do more at. So it's a really good, really good thing," Collyer said.
Officials said volunteers make up 90% of the Red Cross. Michael Blain and Lydia Cox are among those who give their time to the organization. Cox has volunteered with the Red Cross for nearly a decade and said the experience has been rewarding both for her community and herself.
"It's a family and it's just a great experience. It's always interesting. I think I'm going to settle into one job and then they call me for something else. Just a lot of opportunities and a lot of need for volunteers. A lot of need," said Cox.
After law enforcement and first responders, the Red Cross is often among the first to arrive following a disaster, opening emergency shelters for communities in need. Blain described the impact of that work.
"Whether it's working with veterans, whether it's working with someone during a disaster response, working in a shelter or whatever it happens to be, many, many times you get to look into somebody's eyes and you can tell from the look that they're giving you that they appreciate what you're doing," Blain said.
The Red Cross Capital Area Chapter plans to continue running Thunderbolt Exercises. If you're interested in volunteering with the Red Cross you can get started on your volunteer application here.
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